


Three Times

by Capucine



Category: Naruto
Genre: Bittersweet, F/M, Falling In Love, Tessenjutsu, Weapons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-16
Updated: 2015-04-16
Packaged: 2018-03-23 05:27:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3756130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Capucine/pseuds/Capucine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There were exactly three times throughout Tenten's life that Neji had given her weapons. And these were the three times that made her truly love him. SPOILERS for ending of Naruto.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Three Times

**Author's Note:**

> They're my favorite lovebirds, even if they're not canon.

Tenten should have known Neji was the love of her life earlier on. She should have recognized that he showed no one else that special attention that she got from him.

It was easy to reflect, after Konoha was safe, that they could've had a life together. She sat in her weapons shop, and business was slow. Instead, she turned her thoughts to Neji, as she'd known him, the aloof and yet caring genius.

He'd died as he wanted to: by his choice.

She just wished he'd considered what he was leaving behind.

Her best memories of him were three, rising in intensity until she knew she'd fallen in love, but didn't have the chance to tell him.

1\. He produced, from his own kit, a pair of expensive kunai. It was not usually worth spending much on kunai so long as they work, but he gave them to her not too long after his fateful match with Naruto. He'd smiled for the first time in a long time, and she'd accepted the kunai awkwardly, feeling their perfect weight in her hands.

2\. He'd nearly died. Sasuke had run away, and he'd nearly died. They'd all gone without her, and she'd torn Lee a new one for this, even though she knew it wasn't fair. She always felt she would have been able to help, had they just had one more shinobi.

But Neji met her outside his hospital room, weak and using the railing on the wall to walk. He'd pushed a silvery-looking box into her hands, and then slowly made his way back to his hospital room.

She'd opened it to find a sansetsukon of high quality wood with metal caps and chain. She never told him, but she always saved it for occasions when he'd see it, as if she needed to prove her affection for him in such a roundabout way.

3\. The last time they'd had together before Konoha was nearly torn apart. He'd kissed her forehead that time, and it was the lightest, most airy of summer romances. He'd also placed a carved box in her hands, far too big to be jewelry, and he obviously knew that was the way she liked it.

He'd urged her to open it, and when she did, it was engraved, steel fighting fans. She'd told him she didn't know how to use it, but he'd smiled and said that he would make sure he found her a tessenjutsu expert to teach her.

After that third time, things had exploded. They'd been separated for a long time, and she didn't learn to use the fans. Not soon enough for him to see, anyway.

Now, she took them out of their case, and moved across the room, practicing her kata. Perfect strikes, perfect precision, and she threw one, folded closed, and shattered the mirror on the wall. 

If only Neji could see her now.


End file.
